As thunderstorms loomed over the Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, we toured the town of Santa Fe. Parking spots were scarce, so we kept driving around. Suddenly, the cloud burst sending quarter-sized rivulets of rain splattering on our windshield. Deciding not to play the tourists in the downpour, we made our way south. Our goal was to hit White Sands National Monument before sunset as we had been advised that there was no better time to be there.
Three and a half hours of driving through stark, desert landscape with nothing but dust, creosote, and a smattering of one-horse towns, brought us over a crest and into a large agricultural valley. We were amazed at the abundance of orchards compiled of trees that we did not recognize. To our right materialized the largest pistachio we had ever seen. Of course, loving pistachios the way we do, we felt compelled to stop. The store was just about to close its doors, but they let us in for a quick wine and ice cream sample. As we devoured our pistachio ice cream, the host at the front door took us outside and gave us some pertinent information about how pistachios grow and are harvested. He even picked up a small bunch from the ground and handed them over to us as a gift. Back in the car, we began down a highway that is often closed due to missile testing. We were in the area just south of where the first atomic bomb was tested in 1944 (hopefully we don’t suffer any unusual mutations as a result). Through the desert landscape we continued until contrasting dunes of white gypsum sand appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Driving into the park we felt so out of place, like we would drive into the ocean around the next bend. We found a spot relatively free of people and parked the van. The sand felt soft and cool under our feet with the rain having chilled it hours before. Dylan ran up the dunes leaving her little footprints behind and spreading sand behind her with every step. With the GoPro set up to take a time-lapse exposure of the sunset, we played around in the sand – flying from the tops of the dunes to land and slide halfway down, making “sand angels”, and sledding on our backsides. Today happened to be Carolyn and my anniversary. As the sun set over the dunes, the landscape appeared nearly as beautiful as Carolyn. I couldn’t take my eyes off either.
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April 2019
AuthorCarolyn and Will Bollwerk share their adventures with their 5 year-old daughter, Dylan. |